Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides.
Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on
the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will need to join the MOA before you can post: click this register link to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

K12gt 04 with a challenging shift lever ergonomics

I recently picked up a beautiful bike but I seem to be challenged by the spacing between the peg and the shifter. My size 12 foot is having trouble fitting in to operate the shifter. It doesn't seem to have any adjustment available. Has anyone else had this issue and what are my options to fix this?

The lever has adjustment where it attaches to the linkage. It can be rotated about 30 degrees forward or back. If you need more you can remove it and grind off a bit more of the stop that allows it to rotate only so far. The other part of the linkage can be adjusted but that requires disassembly inorder to move things just a little.

You might also try moving your pegs up and back to the alternate position which will give more room as well. It is the position that once accustomed to, I prefer.

I know that mine used to drag a bit. When the bike was apart for clutch/alternator repair (frame lifted off of motor) it was altered so the angle changed. It makes it a bit higher so you have to focus on shifts a little more. I think this was accomplished by adjusting the arm on the shifting shaft coming out of the transmission. I like it better the other way but this way it is a bit more out of the way.

Can you take a closer picture of the shifter? To me it looks like the shifter may be angled back.
On our K1200RSs the shifter was angled straight down. I'm talking about the part that touches your boot.

I am a size 12 as well and have no problem. So, what Lee is referring to, and I agree with him, is that your shifter appears to be adjusted to the back position which is intended to be used when the pegs are moved to the upper position. It is pretty much designed such that the more rearward ( anticlockwise) rotation of the shifter is for the upper peg position and the more forward rotation is for the lower peg position. I believe it is also intended for the ball of the foot to be on the peg, so if your instep is on the peg, it will be quite tight. Then again, if you wear large style boots on your size 12 foot, that will not necessarily go with the K12 design. My stepson wears 10s, but was unable to get his big engineer/logging boots to fit in the space with the limited ankle flex he had. To check shifter adjustment, back out the cap screw in the lever attachment point. Pull it all the way out to observe the two settings possible, then adjust to the more forward position, clockwise rotation. It would be nice if BMW had just made each side with a full face of ridges that mesh so you could choose exactly what you want, but, that decision was made 15 years ago.....

I also have some logger and engineer boots and they will work on the bike (size 10) but the thicker toe and sole just makes it feel a bit strained. Their design and the design of the bike just don't match so well. I also have some Sidi Crossfires that do work as good boots on the bike. They are a bit stiffer and thicker in the toe than say my Sidi Vortice or Alpinestar SMX boots but still work OK. I have some crossover boots, Gaerne Explorer boots that work great with the set up as well. So do play around with this simple adjustment, grind off a little more to gain a tad more room and see if that satisfies your needs.

Oh, he has a point there.....though the end of that peg looks like it was snaaaaped off from maybe a garage tip? I had one break at the hinge point, but on the 2000 models, there is the one inch rise before it goes horizontal. Easy replacement though. Good drawing on the pic for a more detailed description.

Thanks for the thoughts

Many good thoughts here.

I'd move the pegs up but I moved from a '95 K11rs to the gt and one of the reason was to have a more upright and less crunched position. Having taken the end of the linkage off, I do not think my setup is adjustable more without grinding. I also believe that the whole thing might be a bit bent in as well. Maybe some heat and a gentle pull and I can fix that. I have resolved to just use a pair of boots more flexible and thinner at the toe though the end of the shifter still seems to fall too far up on my foot. I'm sure I can learn to live with it given that I absolutely love everything else about the bike.

Shift peg fix

This question seems to come up a number of times.
I had the same problem. I wanted an upright riding position
and did not want my foot angled down so much.
Also, if the shift lever isn't completely released,
you can not shift to the next gear.
Which is what happens with a big boot.
I removed the lowest piece of the shift lever,
the toe piece which is ground off in the picture above, and put
a long bolt directly into the mounting whole for that toe piece.
I put on the bolt several plastic spacers to make a larger
diameter and to allow the bolt to be tightened.
The spacers I used I found at a hardware store. They were about
a inch long and 1/2 or 3/8 inches in diameter with a 1/4 inch hole
through them.
I used several and then adjusted the final length with
metal washers.
The one closest to the mounting threads needs to be
ground off at about a 45 degree angle, same as the mounting
surface where the thread is.
No adjustment is needed, or can be done .
Use a bit of loctite to make sure it stays.
Sorry, I don't have a picture.

Tail bag

The bag has a BMW logo on it so I think it is a bag sold thru a dealer. I don't really like it but it works great for holding the laptop when I want to ride to work. It also locks to the rear rack so I guess that is good but cant be locked at the top being a textile unit. You wanted to know about the rack though and it appears to be a stock piece. The bag is not that big and has a frame and locking mechanism to it. I will post a pix ASAP.